Naruto: The Realism

2 years later --- Shanks aged 7

Two figures can be seen clashing amidst the intense mist. Their movements graceful, both choreographed and improvised. One would move while the other would response and they continued back and forth, ocassionally meeting in a clash of blood and sweat. In between the sharp echoes of metal against metal, Shank's laboured could be heard as he struggled to keep up with his teacher's frantic pace. 

"Faster! You won't last long with reactions like that, boy," yelled the red haired man, his katana almost removing Shank's head from his shoulders.

Shanks said absolutely nothing as he sidestepped another thrust by his mentor. He was used to his teacher's baiting. Whenever they sparred he would insult, mock, do just about anything to provoke a rash reaction out of him. It was a simple yet incredibly effective move, of which Shanks has fallen victim to quite a number of times. But it has been 2 goddamn years since he started training and it was the last thing he was falling for. His mentor has literally beaten the habit out of him. You could only get burned so many times before you finally learned your lesson. So this time he brushed aside his mentor's comment and focused on his next move.

His action put a small smile in Akira's face. It seems he approved of his self-control. However he wasn't given any time to think as Akira quickly attacked him again, unleashing a barrage of sword strikes at his body.

Akira was a fast and athletic fighter. Unlike other Uzumaki's his moves were characterized by speed and precision rather than brute force, and bull-dozing his way through. Be it kenjutsu, taijutsu, ninjutsu, he prioritised efficiency over anything else. That's what made him so dangerous. A body with enormous chakra yet battling out opponents with extreme efficiency rather than throwing chakra left and right like a moron. Absolute control over your chakra and tanketsu point. That was what he was teaching his new protege. And truth be told his student was taking it all like a fish in water. He reverse gripped his sword, often attacking him one handed from just about any angle while the other hand was used for efficient punches, effortlessly combing kenjutsu with taijutsu.

Shanks launched his own attacks at Akira. A slash at his shoulder followed by a thrust to his throat, however he flipped out of range before closing the gap between them with extreme speed. The kick he landed to his stomach brought him to his knees.

Damn it, Shanks thought in frustration. I have been training like a madman for two years and I still can't even touch him.

It wasn't that he hadn't improved, but his mentor was too damn good. He had an answer to everything he threw at him and after two years of training he had a lot of moves to through.

Over the last two years Akira taught him a lot. His physique improved leaps and bound from the rigorous workout he was given. Taijutsu, kenjutsu were the things he improved a lot. He was quite disappointed when he was told he wasn't ready for ninjutsu yet. Yes he was destined to become a ninjutsu prodigy considering his enormous chakra reserves as an Uzumaki, but according to his mentor he wanted his chakra control to be extremely precise and calm, to the point he would be freely able to mold chakra in any of his tanketsu points and also control the volume of it. Hence his meditation training was one of the most important part of his training. According to his mentor he would have already succeeded in doing so, but due to his large reserve he needed a little more time. Next year he should be able to start his ninjutsu training. 

He was also being trained in the art of deception. A true ninja should always prioritize using stealth and tactics to win a fight, not just use flashy moves. So he was given knowledge of lots of tactics. Imagining many battle scenarios and how he should approach it, that sort of stuff. 

"All right I am ready for round two sensei." said Shanks, having gotten up after spending minutes lying on the ground. 

Akira smiled at his protege. He was truly astonished seeing his talent. His hunger for learning is greater than anything he has ever seen. Most young brats don't want to train to build a strong foundation. They all want to learn the flashy stuffs but don't want to spend time building the base which will make them learn those things much faster. But this boy was different. He quickly understood the need of this. Initially he was disappointed but soon he realized the importance of it. Meditation does help huh!. 

" Go home. We are done for today. Come here tomorrow at the earliest."

"Huh?".

"What? You do realize the academy is starting tomorrow. Give your mind and body rest. It is as important as training. And don't go on showing off your skills. I doubt you will learn anything of importance there. But still its better you keep a hold of yourself."

"Huh? When do I look like a show off guy to you sensei? I have no interest in picking fights with anyone. I know what I have been taught."

"Good. And yes you will keep all your ninja accesories here. Academy will provide you with those. And yes I mean your Sword as well."

"You are kidding right?", Shanks said in disbelief.

Akira's eyes narrowed. "Do I look like a joker type to you?" he said coldly.

Shanks sweat dropped. His sensei can be anything but someone who can crack joke is definitely not one of them. He replied disappointedly "All right. See you tomorrow then."

After returning to his home Shanks quickly took a long cold shower. It has become some sort of a habit. His training was brutal and nothing less than a cold shower will take away his fatigue. After coming out from his bathroom he went to his kitchen and started preparing his food. Yes his sensei has instilled in him the so called Discipline . As long as he is not officially a shinobi he was ordered to live a disciplined life. As it will not be the same after he starts taking mission. After eating he quickly washed his plates and took out the clothes he will be wearing tomorrow. Nothing fancy, a white shirt and a black pant. He then quickly turned off his light before going to bed. Tomorrow a new chapter of his life is going to start and he can't wait to see what it brings. Whatever it is, nothing is going to make him waver, NOTHING.